From recruiting to coaching to conferences, these are some of the questions that will dominate the college football conversation from now until Ole Miss and Boise State meet in the Kickoff Game on Aug. 28

AFTER TRAILING THE AUBURN MIRACLE WORKERS BY 18 POINTS, FLORIDA STATE MADE A LITTLE MAGIC OF ITS OWN, RALLYING FOR THREE FOURTH-QUARTER TOUCHDOWNS TO CLAIM ITS THIRD NATIONAL TITLE—AND END THE SEC'S CHARMED BCS RUN

THEY'RE THE TEARS OF A ONETIME CLOWN AND A PERCEIVED NFL BUST, OF A KID WHO GREW UP LIVING HAND-TO-MOUTH, SHELTER-TO-SHELTER. AND IN THESE PLAYOFFS, THEY'RE ALSO THE TEARS OF THE MOST IMPORTANT BRONCO NOT NAMED PEYTON MANNING

He'll likely end up a corner but could line up at slot receiver and punt returner. At 5'10", 182 pounds, he's also a 2016 Olympic hopeful in the long jump.

Considering: USC, Florida, LSU, UCLA, Oklahoma, Tennessee

3 DAMIAN PRINCE

OT Bishop McNamara High (Md.)

When the 6'6" lineman trimmed from 337 pounds to 292, his stock ballooned. With sound footwork and oven-mitt-sized hands, he's a future stud.

Considering: Several schools, but leaning toward Maryland

4 MALACHI DUPRE

WR John Curtis Christian High (La.)

A 6'3" 190-pounder with soft hands, he's the 2013 state champ in the high jump, long jump and triple jump who excels at going up to get the ball.

Considering: LSU is the favorite

5 JOHN SMITH

S Long Beach Poly High (Calif.)

Smith, nicknamed JuJu, continues to add muscle to his 6'1" frame. He has the classic skill set for a safety and grew up dreaming of USC. (He played in Snoop Lion's Pop Warner league.)

Considering: USC, Alabama, Notre Dame, Oregon

6 SOLOMON THOMAS

DE Coppell (Texas) High

The 6'3" 258-pounder has a 6'6" wingspan. He's not overly quick, but he compensates with his football IQ (great at timing the snap count) and physicality.

Considering: Arkansas, Ohio State, Stanford, Texas

7 DERRICK NNADI

DT Ocean Lakes High (Va.)

At 6'1" and 305 pounds, Nnadi controls the line of scrimmage. His quick hands shed blockers, and his feet never stop moving.

Considering: Florida State, Ohio State, Penn State, Virginia Tech

8 DAMIEN MAMA

OG/OT St. John Bosco High (Calif.)

With imposing size (6'4", 370 pounds), Mama can play guard or tackle. Either way, he finishes his blocks with devastating power.

Considering: USC, UCLA

9 STEVEN PARKER

S Jenks (Okla.) High

The 6'2", 188-pound Parker, a rangy quarterback in the secondary, may stay in state at Oklahoma, where his grandfather Charles helped break the color barrier in the 1950s.

Considering: Oklahoma, Texas A&M

10 LORENZO CARTER

DE Norcross (Ga.) High

Georgia's top prospect, Carter is a 6'5", 230-pounder athletic enough to play linebacker in a 3--4 scheme. His frame could handle another 30 to 40 pounds.

Considering: Georgia, Florida

PHOTOMARK LOMOGLIO/ICON SMI (HUMPHREY)

HUMPHREY

PHOTODAVID HOOD/CAL SPORT MEDIA/LANDOV (JACKSON)

JACKSON

PHOTOPhotograph by ROBERT BECK/SPORTS ILLUSTRATED

Moment of Proof Michigan State's old-school, 24--20 Rose Bowl win over equally gritty Stanford picked up a whiff of Cinderella when former walk-on linebacker Kyler Elsworth (41) made the game-clinching stop. On fourth-and-one with 1:46 left, Elsworth, who was playing only because All-America Max Bullough had been suspended for violating team rules, went over the top to stone Stanford fullback Ryan Hewitt. Shilique Calhoun (89) arrived a split second later to finish the play. It was MSU's first Rose Bowl win in 26 years.